The Wasatch Range Between the Great Salt and Bear Lakes, Utah, USA

The Wasatch Range fills the landscape between the Great Salt Lake (left) and Bear Lake. This mountain range stretches about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region.

The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains, extends just into Idaho, constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.

Bear Lake is located near that northern extension of the mountains. It is a natural freshwater lake on the Utah-Idaho border and the second largest natural freshwater lake in Utah.

Bear Lake has been called the “Caribbean of the Rockies” for its unique turquoise-blue color, the result of suspended limestone deposits in the water.

The waters of the Great Salt Lake also have interesting color properties, as the top half of the lake appears brown while the bottom half appears dark green. This is due to the Lucin Cutoff, a railroad line that runs across the lake on a mostly-solid causeway. As it has only three 100-foot (30 m) breaches, the mixing of the lake waters is restricted. This has caused the northwest arm, Gunnison Bay, to become much saltier than the rest of the lake.